Efficient system reliability assessment of shoreline seawalls: Applications to SEAHIVE (UM)
Seawalls play a critical role in protecting coastal transportation systems from erosion, flooding and storm surges. Yet their performance is deteriorating due to changes in structural capacity and increasing external demands, posing growing threats to coastal safety. Evaluating the reliability and risk of seawalls along the shoreline is essential for informed maintenance and repair decisions. However, the large scale of shoreline seawalls and the complex coastal and geotechnical conditions in Miami present significant challenges for system reliability analysis. This is a collaborative research project conducted in partnership with Texas State University. The objective of this research project is to develop an efficient and practical framework that integrates interdisciplinary expertise in geotechnical asset management, seawall design and construction, and reliability analysis to perform system reliability analysis of shoreline seawalls. The proposed project builds on two lines of prior works. First, an effective and well-defined inspection rating system was developed to evaluate the conditions of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls at Texas State University. Second, SEAHIVE®, a novel seawall composed of concrete perforated hexagonal prisms, was developed at the University of Miami and has been implemented in the Miami area for its ability to dissipate wave energy and protect habitats. Leveraging these advances, the proposed project will establish a unified framework for reliability assessment of shoreline seawalls. The project consists of two phases: component-level and system-level reliability analysis. At the component level, the research team will develop an efficient and effective method to evaluate the reliability analysis of individual SEAHIVE® components. First, using available analytical models and experimental data, the team will define limit states that specify the conditions under which SEAHIVE® components perform adequately or fail. Second, the inspection rating method originally developed for MSE walls will be recalibrated for SEAHIVE® in the Miami area, following procedures established in prior work. Finally, these calibrated ratings will then serve as inputs to the defined limit states, enabling the calculation of reliability indices. The expected outcome of this phase is a practical guideline for engineers to quickly rate the seawall and determine the component reliability index. Since seawalls function as interconnected systems rather than isolated units, the next phase is system-level analysis. Specifically, the team will elicit statistical correlations in seawall deterioration and soil conditions across different locations using inspection, measurement, and simulation data. An efficient system reliability analysis will then incorporate these correlations into component-level reliability analysis to compute the overall reliability index of seawalls along the shoreline. Together, the two phases will yield a practical decision support tool to efficiently inspect the shoreline seawalls and estimate the system reliability index in support of risk management and maintenance prioritization for seawalls.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $49,565.00
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Contract Numbers:
69A3552348330
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Sponsor Organizations:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
Washington, DC United States 20590Coastal Research and Transportation Education (CREATE) University Transportation Center
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX United States 78666 1320 S. Dixie Highway
Ste. 650
Coral Gables, FL United States 33146 -
Managing Organizations:
Coastal Research and Transportation Education (CREATE) University Transportation Center
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX United States 78666 -
Project Managers:
Bruner, Britain
Kulesza, Stacey
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Performing Organizations:
1320 S. Dixie Highway
Ste. 650
Coral Gables, FL United States 33146 -
Principal Investigators:
Cheng, Minghui
Barbarigos, Landolf
Kulesza, Stacey
- Start Date: 20260101
- Expected Completion Date: 20261231
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Asset management; Decision support systems; Inspection; Reliability; Sea walls; Shore protection
- Geographic Terms: Miami (Florida)
- Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Geotechnology; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01978096
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Coastal Research and Transportation Education (CREATE) University Transportation Center
- Contract Numbers: 69A3552348330
- Files: UTC, RIP
- Created Date: Jan 31 2026 11:03AM